Sport
Rosenior and the Chelsea Model
Liam Rosenior’s interview process to become the new Chelsea manager was a short one. It’s not even certain the Stamford Bridge club considered other candidates to replace Enzo Maresca. Instead, Chelsea simply looked down the BlueCo production line and plucked Rosenior off the conveyor belt to take over.
Were it not for Chelsea’s multi-club ownership mode, Rosenior would have been nowhere near the list of candidates to succeed Maresca. While the 41-year-old did a decent job at Strasbourg, leading the club to European qualification last season, he is still unproven at the top level.
Long gone are the days when Chelsea would target the best and most experienced managers in Europe. They would never hire an Antonio Conte or Jose Mourinho, or whoever the current equivalent is, in 2026. This is a club that has put full faith in its model and Rosenior’s appointment will be the ultimate test of that model.
Rosenior insists he hasn’t been hired as a ‘yes man.’ “I don’t think it’s possible to ever be in this job and not be your own man,” he said. “People will see through you straight away. I will make the decisions at this football club. That’s why I’ve been brought in. I understand. I know what’s being said in the press.”
The fact remains, however, that three of Chelsea’s last four permanent managers have left the club unhappy at being restricted by the model put in place by the decision makers at Stamford Bridge. Maresca only added his name to a list that already included Mauricio Pochettino and Thomas Tuchel.
Chelsea aren’t building a team to win trophies and titles. They are now in the business of player development. As we have seen for the last few years since the arrival of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, Chelsea are willing to spend big on potential. The bet, however, is that they will be able to sell on some of their players for a profit further down the line.
Noni Madueke’s sale to Arsenal last summer was a good example of the model in action. Signed for £28m from PSV Eindhoven in January 2023, Chelsea gave the winger exposure to the first team, proved he was good enough for the Premier League and sold him for £50m in July 2025. They flipped Madueke.
More players will be flipped in the coming transfer windows. Jorrel Hato only arrived at Stamford Bridge last summer, but is already being linked with Barcelona. Any profit on the £35m paid by Chelsea to Ajax for the left-sided defender would be considered a success. Proof that the model is working.
This model, however, makes it almost impossible for Chelsea to build anything lasting. The Blues had the youngest squad in the Premier League last season. Were that squad given time to grow together, Chelsea could follow a similar trajectory to that of Arsenal who are now genuine title challengers. They too had an extremely young squad a few seasons ago.
Chelsea’s model doesn’t afford that time, though. They will always be among the youngest teams in the Premier League because their transfer market outlay requires sales on the other end to balance the books. With this model in place, Chelsea will rarely have an experienced, fully formed player on their hands.
Rosenior has been hired not because he’s one of the best managers in the world, but because he will fit into a model that he knows from his time at Strasbourg. The 41-year-old might have the freedom to shape the team on the pitch, but his influence stops at the door to the boardroom.
